Decentralized mental health services may be the answer to the shortage of mental health professionals, according to professors at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.
Dr. Johannes Thrul of the Johns Hopkins School of Mental Health talks to Cointelegraph Assumption The mental health support sector can draw on the experience of Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs) by providing support services in a decentralized system.
Dr. Thrul wrote an academic paper on “Web3 and digital mental health” on July 22, envisioning a decentralized peer support system that relies on “individuals with lived experience” based on their ability to manage their own conditions. expertise” to help.
Dr Thrul said the system would work by using a “community-related crypto token” that would reward those who “make a positive contribution to the community”, such as helping someone overcome mental health in a peer support environment question.
At a time when I find myself apprehensive and anxious about the state of the world, it was fun to write this truly positive and uplifting perspective on the potential of web3 and online peer support for mental health. https://t.co/rEngiaOL3S
— Johannes Sul (@drjthrul) July 22, 2022
He said the system would not be subject to “border restrictions,” noting how quickly the government had adapted to provide health care remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic, although he acknowledged it could not replace the mainstream health system alone. Instead, it can be used to supplement looking at traditional psychologists.
Another professor who contributed to the academic paper, Dr Luke Kalb, said a decentralized peer support system would provide greater flexibility and freedom in the way we approach mental health issues, stating:
“[The] Communities can come up with their own creative ways to solve problems […] This peer support system offers many opportunities for creativity. “
Given that “61 percent of practicing psychiatrists in the U.S. are about to retire,” the professors noted, such a system could become essential in the future, with a possible future shortage of traditional mental health services.
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The paper also cites HHS research that predicts “long-term national labor shortage Among all mental health professionals by 2025. “
Although the professors are just beginning the early stages of their research, they hope to start building the professional relationships necessary to make this happen. Dr Thrul said: “It is difficult to find the right technology partnerships with the same shared vision […] However, we wanted to put it there as a call to read, to rally and to lend a hand. “
